1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to portable beds for use outside the home, and in particular, relates to a bed operating as a bridge between two adjacent seats having a gap therebetween, such as the seats in the driving cab of a semi-tractor trailer or adjacently placed seats in a non-vehicle environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been many attempts to provide alternative means to achieve comfortable and quality sleep in less than ideal circumstances. Commercial truck drivers, especially those that operate day-cab trucks, semi-tractor trailers, straight trucks or box trucks, among others, may need to maximize space utilization by sleeping along the adjacently spaced seats in the driving cab. For instance, day-cabs lack sleeping accommodations. However, the driver may have one or more passengers accompanying the driver, thus, the need to obviate crowding and/or sleeping issues may arise. In the other trucks mentioned, there is no space devoted to sleeping, thus the driver must improvise in order to avoid paying for a costly boarding for the evening.
Among the many relevant and related inventions drawn to providing sleeping apparatuses or devices for automobiles, the inventions disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,524,673, 3,910,626 and 5,170,521 are considered typical of bed units that resemble cots or hammocks that are minimized for storage and sufficiently sturdy for use. Of particular relevance are U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,668,397 and 6,711,762, each issued to Olenick et al., which disclose the methods and apparatuses of various embodiments of truck cab bridge-beds. In particular, the references disclose a bed having a body with rods placed within a flexible platform having two layers. The rods reinforce the body during use. The bed includes a cushioning pad.
Other references considered related, but of lesser relevance, include apparatuses and devices that may be portable and/or compressible, but that operate in a less than satisfactory manner or are cumbersome to assemble or disassemble. Such apparatuses and devices include U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,620,346; 3,353,194; 4,005,898; 4,232,413; 4,679,840; and 6,470,517.
Additional references considered related include apparatuses and devices that operate as conversions of automobile components, and generally concern converting seats or storage apparatuses into a sleeping bunk. Included in this group of references are: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,910,626; 4,443,034; 4,487,451; 5,029,929 5,505,513; 5,787,522 6,557,190; 6,837,531; and 6,929,306.
Although the list of inventions and references devoted to this general field of endeavor is significant, the aforementioned references suffer from several general deficiencies that are specifically overcome by the present invention. In particular, the aforementioned references fail to disclose the elements and features of the present invention, including the utilization of means for securing the body of the bed into a particular position relative to the seats, including the use of a nose extending from the body, arms, bands, legs, or the combination thereof, to inhibit displacement of the bed during use. Therefore, the present invention is patentably distinct over the prior art referenced in this application.